Gout - do you suffer from it

ph3n0m666

Currently at home, off work, cause my big toe is sore....sounds like a crap excuse - but giving the absolute agony I am in, that I cant walk properly or even bend my toe properly...it got me wondering - anyone else around diagnosed with this crappy thing called gout (although I prefer arthritis of the toe joints).

Running joke of cutting down on my diet of various red meats and wines/port - but then I remember I am not a 14th century king

Seriously though - the pain of when it hits is absolute agony. First time I hit me, I actually thought I had broken the toe - until the doc told me it was gout....never felt like such an old man before.

And yes this thread is kind of pointless

Smallbit

My b/f was diagnosed (wrongly) with this. You should insist on a blood test because in his case he went through agony taking some medication for several months that made things even worse! Talk about a bear with a sore paw... :rolleyes: He was finally diagnosed with osteo-arthritis.

petes

I have. Pain is excruciating. Had blood test and all. Not a chance of going to work with. Walking is a complete no no. Even a sheet lying on top of my foot was agony.

ph3n0m666

Insurgent wrote: »

I have. Pain is excruciating. Had blood test and all. Not a chance of going to work with. Walking is a complete no no. Even a sheet lying on top of my foot was agony.

yup - even a damn breeze nearly brings tears to my eyes. I guess I am lucky that I get these attacks extremely rarely

DecTenToo

ouch. I do and it's impossible to describe the pain to someone else. When I have had an attack, I've been treating it with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID), specifically Difene, which is on prescription only. ibuprofen (available over the counter) is also an option.

The other thing is hydration - plenty of water - 2 litres per day. When I've an attack, I've got a minimum of 4*500ml bottles of water at my desk and I make sure I drink them.

I've also been elevating my foot and keeping it above head height - flat on my back with a few pillows under my feet - it helps and you can get some sleep.

If you have repeated attacks then your GP may suggest a preventative, such as Allopurinol.

The other things recommended are diet and exercise.

Whatever the circumstance, check with your doctor or chemist before treatment.

DecTenToo

Have a look at Arthritis Ireland - they have an article

DecTenToo

now I must get back to the stilton and port .......:)

Eve_Dublin

I had a very sore foot the past month that came out of nowhere and couldn´t get to see a doctor here and my scientist sister-in-law thought it might have been gout because of the amount of seafood I ate. The very idea of having something so medieval didn´t give me much street cred.

Turns out it was a twisted ligament or something.

Drink a shed load of water and flush that uric acid out of your body, cherry juice and porridge (not the instant stuff). You can google what foods you can and can´t eat.

Get well soon!

petes

The last serious attack I had landed me in A & E. Literally couldn't walk at all.

Got the blood test there which showed elevated levels of Uric acid.

Got prescription for Colchicine, Tylex and Difene.

I did have a blood test with my GP but by the time it was taken the levels were not hight enough.

Prescription from A & E was a God send!!!

murphym7

There was a fella I worked with years ago who had gout all the time - he was about 50.

What is the age profile of sufferers of Gout or is there one?

petes

murphym7 wrote: »

What is the age profile of sufferers of Gout or is there one?

Not sure but I'm 30.

ph3n0m666

previously it was thought it was older men, 50%, but I am 34 and nowadays its believed its hereditary.

death1234567

I think apple cider vinegar is supposed to help too. I think it stops the crystals forming in your blood that causes the pain. I heard that from a guy who had gout so I assme it true...

boobar

ph3n0m666 wrote: »

Currently at home, off work, cause my big toe is sore....sounds like a crap excuse - but giving the absolute agony I am in, that I cant walk properly or even bend my toe properly...it got me wondering - anyone else around diagnosed with this crappy thing called gout (although I prefer arthritis of the toe joints).

Running joke of cutting down on my diet of various red meats and wines/port - but then I remember I am not a 14th century king

Seriously though - the pain of when it hits is absolute agony. First time I hit me, I actually thought I had broken the toe - until the doc told me it was gout....never felt like such an old man before.

And yes this thread is kind of pointless

I suffer from this as well....pure hell. I know where you're coming from...I have a pain in my big toe, boo hoo.....but unless you've experienced this horror, you can't really appreciate the true pain. Someone recommended cherries to me for this, apparently it lowers the levels of uric acid. I tried it, didn't seem to have any significant effect.

armian

I'm 37 and at the tail end of my 2nd gout attack. First one was 2 years ago. While it is painful, I've been housebound since Monday, thankfully mine is not at the level described by some sufferers. I've trawled many websites (what else can you do with a foot up for a week?!) so here's my two cents worth:


- drink lots of water: (about 2 litres per day), every day - not just during an attack. we also have an increased risk of kidney stones, which apparently can be worse than gout pain - drinking lots of water helps eliminate uric acid and should reduce our risk of both gout & stones

- moderate alcohol: - unfortunately this is a major cause of gout (definitely a significant cause for me) - basically, drink less of all types of alcohol, particularly beer. Alcohol slows the rate at which the body eliminates uric acid, beer is high in purines.

- modify diet: reduce consumption of red meat, poultry and seafood (high purine content). I would completely cut out the following : mackerel, herring, all offal, organ meats, liver, sardines, anchovies. I was eating tonnes of mackerel in the years previous to my first attack. Interestingly, recent research is suggesting that high purine non meat foods, such as legumes, lentils, asparagus, mushrooms, etc. do not increase the risk of gout. This is great news if true

- eat cherries - there seems to be lots of evidence out there to confirm this - I've been eating them all week, sure it cant do any harm anyway..

- DONT GET COMPLACENT!! a few months after my first attack, I stopped making the effort to drink lots of water, reduce alcohol - I even started eating mackerel again!! have taken a picture of my toe this time to remind me in future..... might use it as my mobile screen saver. maybe not.

- keep the weight down - hard to do with a fetid toe, but will be hitting the gym & back playing footie next week

all pretty obvious i suppose, but there it is...

ph3n0m666

well finally managed to dodder to the docs on wednesday - foot has finally gone back to normal, not walking like Kevin Spacey from Usual Suspects anymore

But yeah the problem is, I usually have a tough time identifying what causes my attacks, as the doc said it could be something you consumed a few days before that can cause the attack, so trying to remember what you ate 4/5 days ago is tough, unless you record it.

Unfortunately I have a feeling my bane is prawns, as that was the only unusual thing I had eaten before my attack, and if so I am gutted, bloody love prawns

springwell7616

Go to the doc and ask him for 300mg Alupurinil tablets. They'll control your gout. Gout is caused by the body noet getting rid of Uric Acid.
I've had gout for about 6 years now and the tablets work. haven't had a bout of gout since I started the tablets.

springwell7616

Sorry for the spelling error. The tablets are alupurinol.

itsallaboutheL

Coincidence and a half

I had this tab open when i stumbled in here, may be of interest.

bob50

springwell7616 wrote: »

Go to the doc and ask him for 300mg Alupurinil tablets. They'll control your gout. Gout is caused by the body noet getting rid of Uric Acid.
I've had gout for about 6 years now and the tablets work. haven't had a bout of gout since I started the tablets.

Hi I am on the same 300mg every day for the last 7 years But i still get an attack whenever i drink beer i get terrible pain in my feet both in the middle of the night it gets so bad you have to get up and walk around the room for 10 mins I never got in my big toe always the whole foot it was like spraining your foot but knowing you didnt


Hope yours is under control

springwell7616

Hi,
Sorry to hehar that you're still getting bouts after drinking beer. Not being a beer drinker myself, I occasionally have a few tinnies of Heiniken but my main drink is Captian Morgan rum & coke. Been downing the stuff for 46 years, I've has a few hangovers but no pain.

Try a change of beer to see if that helps, plus if you've got to make sure that your piss output is good.

Good luck.

bob50 wrote: »

Hi I am on the same 300mg every day for the last 7 years But i still get an attack whenever i drink beer i get terrible pain in my feet both in the middle of the night it gets so bad you have to get up and walk around the room for 10 mins I never got in my big toe always the whole foot it was like spraining your foot but knowing you didnt


Hope yours is under control

petes

Got a mild attack yesterday, taxi to work this morning. Seems to be subsiding but I have no idea what triggered it.

Worse still I had no tablets of any kind left!!! Over the counter pain killers do absolutely nothing for it!!

vickywatts

No More Pain with Alternative Treatment
Uric acid can be flushed and neutralized very quickly and it is extremely easy. Here are a few secrets that many doctors will not mention to their patients.
1. Many fruits will neutralize uric acid levels like strawberries, blueberries, cherries and raspberries. Try to eat a couple servings per day.
2. Eliminate the cause of uric acid by avoiding foods like diary, meats and seafood. Try to get your protein from nuts and legumes instead.
3. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of water. Baking soda can neutralize the acid.
4. Drink at least 100 ounces of water per day. This will flush the acid.
5. Supplement vitamin A regularly. This vitamin is often lacking in most sufferers.
6. Garlic is often the mother of all herbal remedies. You should supplement garlic daily to reduce inflammation.
7. Parsley is a natural diuretic and can help out flush out the gout causing acid.
8. Lastly, you should also continue to educate yourself on some of the natural treatments with this form of arthritis.

Fordpefect

vickywatts wrote: »

No More Pain with Alternative Treatment
Uric acid can be flushed and neutralized very quickly and it is extremely easy. Here are a few secrets that many doctors will not mention to their patients.
1. Many fruits will neutralize uric acid levels like strawberries, blueberries, cherries and raspberries. Try to eat a couple servings per day.
2. Eliminate the cause of uric acid by avoiding foods like diary, meats and seafood. Try to get your protein from nuts and legumes instead.
3. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of water. Baking soda can neutralize the acid.
4. Drink at least 100 ounces of water per day. This will flush the acid.
5. Supplement vitamin A regularly. This vitamin is often lacking in most sufferers.
6. Garlic is often the mother of all herbal remedies. You should supplement garlic daily to reduce inflammation.
7. Parsley is a natural diuretic and can help out flush out the gout causing acid.
8. Lastly, you should also continue to educate yourself on some of the natural treatments with this form of arthritis.

Great post, I have gout a few years but the attacks have become frequent and painful,I had cut down on beer, red meat etc, but i believe my trigger food is Duck, which I have occasionally but has benn the common denominator in the last three bouts, I came across a pain relief laser clinic and although the inflamation was present after two treatments there was little pain, my plan is just to eat organic food and fruit from now on

Otis Driftwood

As the OP has closed their account this thread in irrelevant.

Do not bump old threads please.